September Brings 750 Jobs to Missoula, 100 to Ravalli

A new set of unemployment numbers have hit the presses, and it looks like Montana is on a stronger footing this month. The state's unemployment rate dropped 0.2 points to 6.2 % while the national rate dipped 0.3% to 7.8%.

Montana Department of Labor and Industry Senior Economist, Barb Wagner says that "the big picture here is that we're on the way down, we have been all year, and in fact we really have been since the middle of last year. Our unemployment rate has been going down and our job growth has been pretty good."

The core inflation rate has been relatively flat at 0.1% for the third month in a row, while the consumer price index for urban consumers jumped up 0.6% driven by a unseasonably high gas prices.

In total, Montana gained 1,130 jobs in September and according to Wagner 100 of those job gains were in Ravalli county while Missoula county added 750. Job gains were greatest in the areas of construction and Business services. There was also a decline of 600 government jobs in September.

Discussion of Montana's unemployment rate with Senior Economist Barb Wagner: